Airlines

Category Archives for Airlines.

New World’s Longest Flight: Newark – Singapore Launches October 12

by Gary Leff

globe map
May 30 2018

Singapore Airlines used to fly the world’s longest flight, Newark – Singapore, along with what at the time was the second longest flight Los Angeles – Singapore. They held the title from June 2004 through November 2013, operating these services with flying gas cans Airbus A340-500s. It’s hard to make ultra long haul flying work. A flight scheduled at over 18 hours is going to require a dedicated aircraft in each direction, and fares are going to have to cover that plane’s full costs. With fuel prices up that’s even more difficult since they burned over 58,000 gallons of fuel in each direction. The flight used 14 cabin crew and six pilots to make the journey. Singapore initially offered 64 business class and 117 extra legroom coach seats but moved to an all business class…

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Review: ANA First Class, Houston – Tokyo

by Gary Leff

first class cabin
May 27 2018

I’m just back from Tokyo and Shanghai. My wife and I flew to Asia on a Virgin Atlantic 120,000 mile roundtrip ANA first class award. It’s one of the better value redemptions in all of travel — United would charge 220,000 miles roundtrip for the same thing, Aeroplan 210,000 miles, and Avianca LifeMiles 204,000. ANA itself charges 150,000 miles roundtrip.

And it turns out the deal is even better than that because most of the points for these two tickets came from American Express Membership Rewards transfers — when there was a transfer bonus. I called up Virgin Atlantic, put the award on a 24 hour hold, and then transferred the points. Not bad for a roundtrip ticket that was pricing at $22,907 apiece.

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It’s Raining Engine Parts in Japan

by Gary Leff

japan airlines plane
May 27 2018

Ten engine parts fell out of a Japan Airlines Boeing 767 hitting a car and a medical clinic. The plane was headed from Kumamoto airport to Tokyo Haneda as flight JL632.

A left engine blade sustained significant damage. The parts falling from the sky “cracked a clinic window in Mashiki, Kumamoto Prefecture, and damaged a car on the premises.”

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I Don’t Get It, Why Are People Still Collecting SkyMiles?

by Gary Leff

delta program
May 26 2018

When a loyalty program becomes less rewarding, it moves the needle with consumers less. That’s a fairly basic proposition.

It’s not any different than the idea that if you raise prices consumers buy less of your product. There are exceptions of course, where some goods become more desirable because they’re expensive, but those are real outliers. This works fairly consistently and reliably.

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American Airlines Blocking CLEAR From Setting Up Expedited Security Lines

by Gary Leff

people walking in airport
May 25 2018

CLEAR lets you skip to the front of the security line. You use a fingerprint for identification and even if you’re precheck you go ahead of everyone that’s waiting to have their ID checked.

Delta made an investment in CLEAR two years ago. That’s helped CLEAR to expand, and in turn Delta got their biometric technology which they’ve experimented with for aircraft boarding and for SkyClub access. In the future you should be able to check bags based on fingerprints rather than showing ID.

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